Category: Education

Cities for Life is observed on November 30th each year. It is a worldwide movement to abolish the death penalty. It began in Italy with the Community of Sant’ Egidio. The Community’s Cornerstones are the Gospel, Friendship & Service to the Poor and a Commitment to Justice. The Community of Sant’ Egidio was successful in abolishing the death penalty in Italy and have since been involved in efforts to end the death penalty in other countries. Each year on November 30th, about 2, 000 cities in more than 80 countries celebrate the International Day of Cities for Life. Most churches that take part do so by turning on all their lights and ringing the church bells at 7:30 pm. Some parishes will have a holy hour or prayer service to coincide with the lights and ringing the bells. Here in St Augustine it was held The Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche at Mission Nombre de Dios on 102 San Marco Ave at 6:30pm.

The aim is also to make use of symbolic monuments and squares to hold educational and artistic events aimed at raising public awareness. All cities taking part in the initiative make their major monuments available as “living logos”, which “speak” with the help of special illuminations, thus becoming symbols of a commitment to hold a dialogue with the population aimed at achieving a world without the death penalty.

The 3rd annual celebration for Flagler College Adult & Continuing Education Program at the Markland House in St Augustine.
Flagler College’s Adult and Continuing Education Program is designed to provide working professionals corporate training and development opportunities, and adult and retired learners opportunities to engage in intellectually stimulating, meaningful, and interesting activities.Lifelong Learning courses are non-degree seeking, inexpensive, interesting, and stimulating, and typically meet for 90 minutes, once a week for six weeks. Our purpose is to create an engaging, dynamic and meaningful environment for the adult learner. Adult learners want to continue discovering, creating and thinking critically about a wide variety of topics that are important in their daily lives. These topics may range from historical preservation to foreign languages; from how to write one’s life story to how to use an iPad.

This year’s campaign focuses on increasing community participation in the elimination of breeding sites for Aedes aegypti, the mosquito that transmits dengue, chikungunya, Zika and urban yellow fever. Aedes mosquitoes are well adapted to human settlements and tend to breed in water held in manmade containers, such as tires, buckets, barrels, planters, and trash containers. This is why it is so important to get citizens actively involved in mosquito control. Households in areas where these mosquitos circulate need to ensure that any items that can accumulate water are either discarded or emptied, scrubbed and turned over at least once a week; tightly covered to prevent mosquitos from getting inside; or thoroughly cleaned to destroy any mosquito eggs that may be attached to their surfaces. How much do you really know about mosquitoes? You know they can be relentless once they decide to target a human as a source of a blood meal. You also know that a bite from them will leave a red, itchy welt on your skin that can be quite uncomfortable. But there’s a lot more you should understand about these tiny insects, including the fact they can pose a significant health hazard to you, your family and even your pets. With National Mosquito Control Awareness Week, now is the perfect time to learn some basic, must-know facts about mosquitoes. First Coast.TV went to Anastasia Mosquito Control in St Johns County, FL to get some facts.

The St Johns Cultural Council is offering a free workshop on copyright, directed to artists. Hala Laquidara gives more information on this workshop, which is the third on a series of workshops directed to the artistic community of St Johns County. This one will be held at the St Augustine Beach City Hall, Saturday, March 24th at 10:30am. Attorney Richard Brooks will conduct this workshop.

Flagler College’s Adult and Continuing Education Program is designed to provide working professionals corporate training and development opportunities, and adult and retired learners opportunities to engage in intellectually stimulating, meaningful, and interesting activities. The program has three broad categories, Corporate Training and Professional Development, Lifelong Learning, and Test Preparation Center. It celebrated its second year this last Tuesday Oct. 17th, 2017 at the Markland House in St Augustine, FL.

Flagler College’s Adult and Continuing Education (ACE) program celebrated its first birthday Tuesday night, with approximately 150 people — mostly former students in the program’s Lifelong Learning seminars — turning out to mingle with their classmates at the college’s historic Markland House. Over the past year, hundreds of St. Augustine residents have enjoyed talks about Vladimir Putin, workshops on painting and lessons in belly dancing, among others. The numbers, from the program’s inception to now, have soared. In the fall of 2015, seven courses were offered for Lifelong Learning’s first term. Now there are between 20 to 25.

Unique offerings, from “Unlocking the Creative Mind” to “The Hollywood Soundtrack: the 1930s and 1940s,” have drawn participants to the program. Its goal, according to Director Dr. Jorge Herrera, is focused on strengthening community relationships. “The program is about keeping the community engaged with the college, finding out what people want to learn and providing those educational opportunities,” he said. In addition to short, inexpensive Lifelong Learning courses, the program offers corporate training and development, as well as a test preparation center.